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It's sweet for us in Wisconsin. It provides a spark of excitement during an otherwise tedious stretch of time. The weather is cold and boring; additionally, dealing with the reality of the world around us isn't always an appealing pursuit.

Thankfully, there's football.

It's a welcome distraction. If, for that reason alone, you are a Packer fan, then more power to you.

It seems like the perfect antidote for this time of year.

There's only one problem with football: the multisecond delay from the radio broadcast call to the television broadcast.

If you are not a football fan you may ask: Why would a few seconds be such a problem?

For one thing, I like my football “immediate.” I hate holding my breath in anxious hopefulness, sending waves of positive and — hopefully kinetic — vibes. “Please make that catch! Please make that catch!” It's frustrating, knowing the play has already been completed by the time I actually see it on TV.

What good is all that effort, if the receiver already dropped the pass in the end zone?

The other problem — perhaps the bigger problem — is you cannot mute the TV and listen to the radio call.

The incomparable Larry McCarren and Wayne Larrivee of the Packer Radio Network are a joy to listen to, with in-depth commentary and play-by-play that is so gripping, it's almost like being in the Lambeau bowl.

The times when I haven't been able to watch the game, I've listened to the radio call. It's so vivid, I didn't care that I didn't have a screen in front of me.

In fact, I was listening to the radio during the Packers-Lions game last year when quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw the astonishing Hail Mary pass to win the game. It was as thrilling on radio as it would have been on TV. Maybe more so.

So, that's the problem. Because of the broadcast delay, you can't mute the TV to listen to the radio. It's like you are in some weird time-warped "Star Trek" episode. You hear the future before you see it.

I'd handle that disappointment, but the television network play callers are not even in the same vicinity of awesome as Wayne and Larry are.

In fact, there's a petition circulating, pleading with the NFL to remove announcers Joe Buck and Troy Aikman from announcing Sunday's Packers-Cowboys playoff game. As of Wednesday, more than 16,000 people had signed the petition on Change.org.

This complaint is not a new thing. The announcing team of Buck and Aikman has been vilified and hated for several years.

Sometimes, perhaps, unfairly. But, during the Packers playoff game last week, even this “see both sides” moderate, found herself yelling at Joe Buck for something he said.

There's even a Facebook page set up for fans disgruntled with Buck and Aikman, and numerous humorous memes, poking fun at them.

I wondered whether Aikman and Buck were aware of the fans' disgruntlement. Turns out, they are.

There were even a few news stories written about the petition this week, including one by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. They interviewed Buck for the story.

Here's a tidbit of info to chew on: Joe Buck's father, Jack Buck, was in the announcer's booth in 1967 when the Packers beat Dallas, in what would be forever known as the Ice Bowl.

Aikman was the Dallas Cowboys quarterback in the '90s, so from the NFL's perspective, this announcing team probably makes perfect sense.

Both Buck and Aikman have claimed deep love for the Packers, Rodgers and coach Mike McCarthy.

Buck claims that the hate the announcing team faces baffles him. According to the Journal-Sentinel story this week, Buck said “What are you even listening to? Did you hear my week 17 call last year when (Randall) Cobb caught the touchdown pass (that beat the Chicago Bears)? I almost pulled a groin on that call. That was raw emotion coming out.”

Perhaps it's not so much who they are, but who they aren't. They aren't McCarren and Larrivee.

Heidi Hodges is contributing editor of Door County Magazine and a freelance photographer. Contact her at heidi@heidihodges.com.